Vernon Gholston is being realistic, even if his goals for the time being probably won’t excite Jets fans.

“I always have high expectations for myself,” Gholston said. “Maybe it comes a little slower than others expect, but one day I hope to be a good player.”

So, he doesn’t consider himself one already?

“Definitely not,” said Gholston after practice yesterday at Hofstra.

The former Ohio State defensive lineman isn’t being modest, just accepting the realities of making the transition to the NFL and to a new position.

When told Eric Mangini had said it looked as if Gholston was “swimming” during training camp, the linebacker-in-training responded, “Swimming? Closer to drowning.”

That’s what happens when a player is adjusting to the pros – and a new position. Of course, it didn’t help that Gholston missed most of the OTAs while still in college and then didn’t finalize his contract until last weekend.

“There was a lot of teaching that took place over that time that would have helped him,” Mangini said yesterday. “He would have been much further along . . . He’s got to build a base level.”

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t shown glimpses of why the Jets made him the sixth selection overall in this year’s draft.

“You can see the talent he has,” said another new linebacker, Calvin Pace, who also has experience playing both on the line and at linebacker. “It’s not going to be easy for him because it’s a hard transition for anyone to make, but there’s no reason he can’t do it. Even though he might be struggling now, that won’t last long. He’s too good.”

The Jets are counting on Gholston leaving those growing pains behind as he settles into the 3-4 defense.

“I was relentless in college, just trying to get to the quarterback,” Gholston said. “Now, there’s more thinking involved while I try to figure everything out. I just hope to get back to being relentless again soon.”